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Average Rating
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4.64/5
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# of Reviews
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14
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MSRP
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$
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Weight
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More Products from Magura
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Description:
- Pre-bled and ready to mount
- Automatic pad wear
- Lever reach adjustment
- Freeride-specific disc brake
- Fully-hydraulic twin piston caliper
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Submitted by
Stib
a
from Los Angeles, CA
Date Reviewed: December 31, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | Good modulation. Durable and robust. Relatively trouble-free. | | Weaknesses: | Sticky piston. Difficult to find replacement pads at LBS. | | Bike Setup: | Turner RFX. | | Bottom Line: | I've been riding with these brakes for a little over two years now mainly in dry, dusty southern California conditions. I'm running a 210mm rotor up front and a 190mm rotor on the rear brake. My bike weighs between 34-38 lbs, depending on the setup. I weigh between 180-195 lbs, plus gear and I guess I would describe my riding style as aggressive "all-mountain."
I've found that the brakes are very easy to modulate and have decent power, but there are times when I wish I had just a little bit more raw stopping power. I do prefer one-finger braking, so YMMV. I have never been one to baby my bike or equipment, and I've been pleased with the durability of the brake levers. They're pretty much as good as new despite several crashes (although I can't say the same thing about my SRAM X-9 trigger shifters).
Although I have had a relatively good experience with the Louise FRs, I did run into a problem with sticky pistons on both front and rear brakes. I E-mailed Magura's tech support, which did send a prompt reply, but their remedy of pumping the pistons did not work perfectly. I tried and re-tried their method several times, and while there was improvement, I find that they will still stick from time to time. The other frustrating bit is that none of our LBS's carry replacement pads for the Louise FRs or for any of Magura's brakes. I ended up finding some on-line, but I would have preferred to buy from one of our LBS's.
One final criticism is the finish of the levers. I find that the smooth finish of the levers make it feel slippery and less positive than I would like. I would love to see some machining or etching of the levers to increase friction where our fingers touch the levers.
Overall I have had a positive experience with my Louise FR's. I think they're a great set of brakes for people that want decent braking power, good modulation, and reliability in a no-frills package. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Pedro
a Downhiller
from Germany
Date Reviewed: December 29, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Purchased At: | came on bike | | Strengths: | extremely powerful, adjustabilty, feel, modulation, etc, etc... | | Weaknesses: | pad contact adjuster exposed to damage... | | Similar Products Used: | nothing like it | | Bottom Line: | perfect, period. .....FR, DH, AM, EVerything....this brake is just perfect | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
boris
a Weekend Warrior
from flagstaff, az
Date Reviewed: October 14, 2007 | | Favoriate Trail: | any | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$250.00 | | Purchased At: | mailorder | | Strengths: | plenty of power with 203/180. nice modulation. average pad life. | | Weaknesses: | i don't like the feel of the pre-2007 levers. not the "braking feel", just the shape and thinness. | | Similar Products Used: | Mags. | | Bike Setup: | banshee morphine with dh kit. | | Bottom Line: | easy to install, easy to service, plenty of power and nice modulation. haven't had any problems. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Earthpig
a Cross Country Rider
from Boise
Date Reviewed: June 26, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$325.00 | | Purchased At: | ebay | | Strengths: | Good modulation, decent pad wear, quiet | | Weaknesses: | ugly levers, rubbing rear rotor, lack sheer stopping power | | Similar Products Used: | Avid BB7, BB5, Juicy 7 (demo only) | | Bike Setup: | Ventana X-5, Pike 454 Dual Air U-turn, SRAM X-0 shifters/derailleur, Race Face Atlas cranks, etc... | | Bottom Line: | Good but not great brakes. This is my first set of hydraulic brakes, after many years and many bikes with the Avid BB7 mechanical disc brakes. When I first built my X-5, I went with BB7s, but found that even switching out to the 185mm rotor in front, I didn't have enough sheer stopping power. After riding a friend's bike with Avid Juicy 7's, I thought switching to hydros on my Ventana would up the braking power. However, I'd heard bad things about the Juicys, so I went with the Louise FR instead (wanted the Hope M4, but didn't want to spend that much $$$.) Set up with 180mm rotors front and rear. Bottom line is that these brakes have great feel and modulation, but those positives are balanced out by the lack of sheer stopping power, which unfortunately is about on par with the Avid BB7 with 185mm rotors. Never had to bleed them yet, which is good, and am going on to my 3rd set of pads in 1.5 years. Levers are ugly, but the lever reach adjustment works fine. The biggest problem I've had is what another reviewer said - the "automatic centering" on my rear brake isn't working. The piston on one side refuses to retract all the way, leaving me with some serious rotor rub. Wondering if new pads and a good bleeding will fix this? Otherwise, these are OK brakes. Good, but not great. | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike Martin
a Cross Country Rider
from Newport Beach , CA
Date Reviewed: April 27, 2007 | | Favoriate Trail: | lots of them | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Stops on a Dime | | Weaknesses: | I ride in typicaly dry dusty conditions. The pistons often do not return evenly and cause the pad to scrape on the disc. I have tried everything to fix this with no success. | | Similar Products Used: | non | | Bike Setup: | Turner 5 spot mostly XT | | Bottom Line: | Great when they work well, but high maintaince and a pain when they don't. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
mark
a Weekend Warrior
from chicago, illinois (USA)
Date Reviewed: April 25, 2007 | | Favoriate Trail: | any and all | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$200.00 | | Purchased At: | magura and individual | | Strengths: | Feels like a quality automotive piece, amazing power yet great modulation, quiet, quiet, quiet, nice looking, everything feels just right | | Weaknesses: | none | | Similar Products Used: | Hayes and Avid mechanical and hydraulics | | Bike Setup: | Ventana El Saltamontes custom 6" rockers, fox dhx-c shock, marzocchi all-mountain 1 fork, king headset, FSA carbon bars and cranks, sram shifters/derraillers, xtr cassete, magura louise brakes, xt/321 wheelset, wtb saddle and motoraptor tires, time atac pedals, etc. | | Bottom Line: | These brakes kick arse. Smooth, reliable, good looks, amazing power but with great modulation, easy to maintain, mineral oil versus dot fluid is so much nicer to work with. One note: I had better lever feel after topping off with fluid than how they felt right out of the box. They were fine originally, I'm just bored and a perfectionest, so I played around with topping off the fluid (partial bleed) and now they are just perfect. I ride in cold and wet conditions and they are superior to the competition and relatively inexpensive. Maintenance is easy if you just follow directions exactly. I will no longer consider another brand of hydraulic brake. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
maty orlick
a Weekend Warrior
from israel
Date Reviewed: March 7, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | best modulation i've experienced with a brake, silent, good stopping power and easy to maintain. | | Weaknesses: | none | | Similar Products Used: | shimano deore, avid juicy 5 | | Bike Setup: | santa cruz heckler | | Bottom Line: | awesome brake system. you need to ride it to feel the difference.
the new 2007 model handle, look much better then the older model.
and above all very reliable system.
don't think twise, if you have the money get this system, for every riding type from XC to FR/DH/ | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
tscheezy
a
from Kodiak, Alaska
Date Reviewed: February 19, 2007 | | Favoriate Trail: | All of em | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Purchased At: | Online | | Strengths: | Consistent. So deliciously consistent. Wet, dry, hot, cold, doesn't matter- these things just work. I live in a very wet place, and we often ride in snow. Most disc brakes squeal until your ears bleed. Not the Louises (with stock pads). They are nearly dead silent all the time, and always perform. Mineral oil. Wavy rotors. A very understated look. Radial master cylinder. Very easy to remove lever blade assebly. Wide adjustment range in the lever reach. I can get almost a year out of a set of pads even in our local nasty, wet conditions. | | Weaknesses: | The levers are not the most ergonomic in the world. I think the Juicys feel better. Until the BAT system, they also did not have an engagement point ajustment. This was not usually an issue as I think the stock lever travel was just fine. Bleeds tend to get a little messy, but the mineral oil is super easy to clean up. Shimming calipers can be a pain, but the brakes never move again. The stock brake lines can get kinked if you reeeeally tweak them. Not as powerful as some other brakes in a given rotor size. The clamp bolt protrudes far enough below the bars that you cannot run any of the older trigger shifters between the brake and the grip. The X.0 and new X.9s do work a bit better in that position though. NO SPLIT BAR CLAMP! | | Similar Products Used: | Juicy Sevens (owned for two years), Avid Mechs (many years) and I have demoed almost every other brake on the planet at some point. | | Bike Setup: | I have Louise brakes on 4 Turners, a Pugsley, a 'round-town singlespeed, and have some extras laying around just in case. I have the Louises in every shape and size from 160 to 203mm on singlespeeds to FR bikes. | | Bottom Line: | These brakes are the ones to have if you live and ride in a wet place. Their damp conditions performance is flawless and SILENT!!!! I liked my Avid Mechs a lot, and the Juicys too, but riding in the cold rain or especially in slush was a real test of patience with all the noise the brakes put out. I got my first set of Louises on a Turner demo bike I bought back in '05, and was amazed at the silence in every condition. Desert dust and hot sun all the way to goopy sloppy slush. Silent perfection. Sooooo nice.
I have Dangerboy Levers on one set. They're ok. I have a set of Marta SLs. I like the Louises considerably better. I also have a set of the new Louise BATs with the reach adjustment. They are also wonderful brakes but the range of lever reach adjust has been reduced considerably, perhaps as a result of adding the adjustable engagement point (BAT).
There really isn't much I would change about these. Maybe a more inspired lever shape, but the stock ones aren't bad. It seems like every Magura brake uses a different shaped pad, which is a bit annoying. The new 07 Louise pads are different than the older ones. I would also love to see a lower profile bar clamp bolt setup, and a split clamp so that you could take the brakes off without pulling the grips and such.
Bleeding is a little messy because you need to let the oil purge out from under the reservoir membrane at the end of the process, but the final bleed results are always good in my experience.
All in all a stupendous product. I own 6 sets of Maggie disc brakes now (plus two sets of the hydro rim brakes) and I am not even remotely tempted by anything else on the market. If I lived in a dry place, maybe I would have a harder time picking my next brake. As it is, the decision is easy. :)
Five flaming poos all around! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Amit Shofar
a Weekend Warrior
from Tel Aviv, Israel
Date Reviewed: December 16, 2006 | | Favoriate Trail: | amitshofar@yahoo.com | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$480.00 | | Strengths: | Power, modulation, silent!! | | Weaknesses: | Non so far | | Similar Products Used: | Hayes HFX9 | | Bike Setup: | 5-spot | | Bottom Line: | I have the 2006 model.
Awesome brakes. Best I have seen.
These brakes makes me go so much faster downhill. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tettabeta
a Weekend Warrior
from Oleggio
Date Reviewed: November 24, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | Awesome power & reliable. Never failed, never experienced any fading. | | Weaknesses: | NONE | | Bike Setup: | Gemini 2000 '04 stock | | Bottom Line: | Will buy again and again. Tried many other brakes on friend's bikes (mostly hayes) and found no decent alternative.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Csaba
a Cross Country Rider
from Dunakeszi, Hungary
Date Reviewed: November 9, 2006 | | Favoriate Trail: | Börzsöny | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$250.00 | | Purchased At: | Bike Mailorder.de | | Strengths: | Great modulation. Despite the fact that I have been using Magura Louise for only 1 month, it can be said that this brake has awesome stoping power compared to my previous one, Magura HS 33(rim br.) This is what one might dream of! Easy to install and to shorten the hose. The manual describes everything quite undertandably.
Mineral oil is much less harmful than those DOT oils. It is not needed to change oil in the system very often. | | Weaknesses: | In the cold weather it squeeks rarely. However, it's not a big problem. | | Similar Products Used: | Magura HS 33, Shimano LX breaks, tested Shimano disc brakes | | Bike Setup: | Kona Kula Primo 2006, Rock Shox Reba 06, Shimano and Sram components. | | Bottom Line: | I would highly recommend this product both for cross country riders and downhillers! They are around 400g/brake unit (with disc) altogether. 5 year guarantee makes it an absolute winner. Although I've been using it for only 1 month, I am really satisfied with it. Of course, I will submit an other review next year after gaining more experinece with these babies. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Cody
a
from Boise, ID, USA
Date Reviewed: November 3, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Modulation, reliability, warranty, power, mineral oil | | Weaknesses: | looks kinda unorthodox, but there's a reason for it. | | Similar Products Used: | Hayes mags, hfx hd, hfx 9, shimano xt 4 pistons, saints, hope mono 6 ti | | Bike Setup: | Canfield Balance with fox van 36 rc2 | | Bottom Line: | I have the 210 front, 190mm rear rotors. These brakes are fantastic. I would highly recommend them to anything short of a full on DH rig. 5 year leak proof guarantee, how often do you see that. Super easy to bleed so servicing is a breeze. Took 10 minutes to shorten a hose. I have noticed fade on sustained, steep descents where any but the best DH brakes will fade. Not their fault by any means but still possible. They modulate very well for being a 2 cylinder brake with as much power as they have. Aesthetics are questionable but even if you think they are ugly, it only lasts until your first ride and suddenly form follows function and you fall in love. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Christoph
a Weekend Warrior
from Switzerland
Date Reviewed: October 31, 2006 | | Favoriate Trail: | Gurten | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Purchased At: | www.robiswerkstatt.ch | | Strengths: | Great stopping power, modulation and lever feel. Easy pad replacement - looks awesome. Mineral oil. | | Weaknesses: | None. Period. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano XTR/XT | | Bike Setup: | Koba reamol frame (www.koba.ch), SRAM X.0 twist-shifter and rear derailleur, Schlumpf-Speeddrive crankset (www.schlumpf.ch)Marzocchi Allmountain I, DT-Swiss SSD 210 rear shock, DT-Swiss 240 S Weels | | Bottom Line: | Use them with 180 mm rotors in front and look no further. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Peter
a Downhiller
from Santa Cruz, CA,
Date Reviewed: March 10, 2006 | | Favoriate Trail: | Z's trail | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Purchased At: | ABS | | Strengths: | Power, modulation, easy set up, looks good | | Weaknesses: | Pistons stick in and rub a little when riding in really dirty conditions | | Similar Products Used: | hayes hfx, avid juicy 7 | | Bike Setup: | specialized sx trail, fox 36 van r, easton havoc wheels, xt cranks, X.0 shifter/deraileur, gamut chainguide | | Bottom Line: | These brakes are the best brakes money can buy. The master cylinder is oriented perpendicular to the brake lever (most are parrallel) allowing the brake system to achieve super good modulation as well as power. These brakes are the best. Any body who like to go fast downhill should buy these brakes. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
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